Morning Wire — US Stock-Index Futures Higher

US index futures are slightly higher this morning following a good earnings report from Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) last night to get the new earnings season started on the right foot. In Europe, yields on Spanish and Italian bonds are coming down and Germany sold 10-year bunds at the lowest yield ever. In Asia, markets were mixed as investors reacted to the Alcoa earnings and to Spanish and Italian bond auctions that hit European and US markets yesterday.

At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 1.35% at 6,695.69 and France’s CAC 40 is up 1.35% at 3,261.14. In London, the FTSE 100 is up 0.71%, at 5,635.49.

In Asia, the Nikkei closed down -0.83% at 9,458.74. The Hang Seng index closed down -1.06% at 20,140.70 and Shanghai closed up 0.13% at 2,308.93.

Dow futures are up 0.58%, at 12,754.00. The Nasdaq is up 0.63%, at 2,737.7514.00 and the S&P is up 0.69%, at 1,366.40.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is weaker against the euro and and the British pound, but stronger versus the Japanese yen. The US dollar index is down -0.31% at 79.611.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are mixed this morning, with WTI up 0.33% at $101.35/barrel and Brent is down -0.17% at $119.68/barrel. Gold is down -0.07% this morning, at $1,659.60/ounce.